Privacy Policy

INTRODUCTION

This Privacy Policy explains what information Guideposts (“Guideposts” or “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects on our family of websites, such as www.guideposts.org, www.guidepostsfoundation.org, www.shopguideposts.org, www.dailyguideposts.com, and www.morningswithjesus.org (together, the “Websites”), how we use your information and the choices you have about the way your information is collected and used. We may add additional Websites from time to time as we expand our offerings and this policy will govern those new Websites when added. You may be accessing our Websites from a computer or mobile device (through an iPhone or iPad, or Android device, for example) and this policy governs your use of the Websites regardless of the means of access.

Please read this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use (available on the Websites) carefully. Your use of the Websites indicates to us that you have read and accepted our privacy practices, as outlined in this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.

We may also interact with you on third party sites where we post content or invite your feedback, such as www.facebook.com/guideposts, www.twitter.com/guideposts.org, and www.youtube.com/guidepostsTV (“Third Party Sites”). Except as otherwise described below, this policy does not cover the privacy practices of those Third Party Sites, or of companies that Guideposts does not own or control. You should check the privacy policies of those third parties when providing personally identifiable information through Third Party Sites.

Our Privacy Policy may change in the future. We invite you to check back periodically to see if we have made any changes. If we make any material changes, we will post a notice on our home page. If you continue to visit or use the Websites after we post notice of changes, we will assume you agree to the changes. If you do not like the terms of our Privacy Policy, you should not use the Websites.

Should you have any questions or concerns about the information we collect at any of the Guideposts Websites, please feel free to contact us by e-mail at GPSprod@cdsfulfillment.com or call Guideposts Customer Service at (800) 932-2145 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST.

Guideposts is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information. We also want to provide you with a rewarding Internet experience by making the products, literature, inspirational experience and advertising content you see on our Guideposts Websites relevant to you. Your loyalty as a visitor or a “Member” (i.e., an individual who signs up for access to exclusive areas of the Guideposts Websites) is important to us, and we hope that your use of the Guideposts Websites is a productive and positive experience.

WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU DO WE COLLECT?

Personally identifiable information (“PII”) is information that identifies you or could reasonably be used to identify you personally (such as your real name, address, phone number, or e-mail address). Generally, you may browse our Websites without providing any PII. However, we may ask you to provide PII at various times and places on the Websites, such as when you register on a site or subscribe to our newsletter, or request to receive a message from us (for example, requesting an answer to a Prayer Request). We may also ask you to provide us with demographic information or information regarding your interests, hobbies or similar information. In some cases, if you choose not to provide us with the information requested, you may not be able to access all areas of the Websites or take advantage of all of the features. We may combine the demographic information we collect with information available from other sources, including information received from promotional partners or other third parties. We may also provide you with the opportunity to post the personal information of others to our Website and others would have the same opportunity to post information about you on our Website (for example, through our Pray for Others feature). ’We encourage you to post such information only of people who are your close friends or family so that ’you are confident that you have their permission to do so.

FOR YOUNGER VISITORS AND THEIR PARENTS

Protecting children’s privacy is important to us. For that reason, we do not collect or maintain information at our Websites from those individuals we know are under the age of 13. We request that visitors to all of our Websites who are under the age of 13 not disclose or provide any PII without prior verifiable parental consent. If we discover or are notified that a child under 13 has provided us with PII without his or her parent’s consent, we will delete the child’s PII from our records.

OTHER INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Log Data: When you visit the Websites, our web servers automatically collect anonymous information that describes how our visitors use and navigate the Websites, which includes the number and frequency of visitors to each web page and the length of their stays, as well as the anonymous information automatically sent to us by your web browser, such as browser type, referrer data that identifies the web page visited prior and subsequent to your visit to our Websites, and IP addresses. We also may determine what technology is available through your browser in order to serve you the most appropriate version of a web page.

IP Addresses: An IP address is a number that is assigned to your computer or network when you are on the Internet. It is usually associated with the place from which you enter the Internet, like your Internet Service Provider, your company or your university, though it may also provide information concerning your general geographical location. When visitors request pages from our Websites, our servers log the visitor’s IP address. We may collect IP addresses for a variety of internal purposes, such as system administration, to report aggregate information to our advertisers, and to audit the number of visits to different pages on our Website.

Device ID: A device ID is a unique number permanently associated with your mobile or other device, such as an iPhone or Android mobile phone. If you visit one of our Websites using a mobile device, we may take note of your device ID and use your device ID to identify you or recognize you if you return, for certain internal purposes such as system administration, to report aggregate information to our advertisers, and to audit the number of visits to different pages on our Websites.

Cookies: Cookies are information files that our Websites may place on your computer to provide extended functionality. We may use cookies for a number of purposes, such as tracking usage patterns on the Websites or websites of our trusted third party partners, measuring the effectiveness of advertising, controlling the display of ads, serving ads that we think you will like, limiting multiple responses and recording registrations. Advertisers or other third parties that are serving content on some of our pages may set and access their own cookies on your computer. We do not have control over cookies placed by third parties. Such third parties’ use of cookies is subject to their own privacy policies, which may differ from this one. Such third parties do not have access to our cookies.

You can, of course, disable cookies on your computer by indicating this in the preferences or options menus in your browser. However, it is possible that some parts of our Websites will not operate correctly if you disable cookies. You should consult with your browser’s provider/manufacturer if you have any questions regarding disabling cookies.

Web Beacons: While you are on our Websites or otherwise viewing our content, such as in a newsletter or e-mail, or are on the website of one of our trusted third party marketing partners, you may encounter Web beacons which may come from Guideposts or from third parties, such as advertisers or content providers. A Web beacon, which is sometimes also called a Web bug or “clear gif,” is a small graphic image in a Web page, a Web-based document or an e-mail message, which generally allows the party that set the Web beacon to monitor certain information about the viewer of the Web page, Web-based document or e-mail message, and may allow access to certain cookies. Web beacons are usually invisible to the user, because they are very small (generally 1-by-1 pixel). However, in general, any electronic image viewed as part of a Web page, including an advertisement, can act as a Web beacon. Web beacons typically collect the URL of the page the Web beacon comes from, the type of browser requesting the Web beacon, the IP address of the computer that the Web beacon is sent to and the time the Web beacon was viewed. Guideposts does not have control over Web beacons used by third parties and does not have access to whatever information they may collect. Guideposts may use Web beacons to count visitors to our Web pages and we may include Web beacons in HTML-formatted e-mail newsletters in order to count how many of our electronic newsletters (or particular articles, links, etc.) were actually opened. We may also use Web beacons on our Websites or the websites of our trusted marketing partners to allow us to show you offers that we think you will like and to avoid showing you offers that you have already seen, in order to improve your overall experience.

We and our trusted third party marketing partners may share with one another anonymous versions of user information (i.e., aggregate data or data which does not identify a particular individual). We may use that information to link to and issue anonymous cookies containing demographic or intent-based data for online behavioral advertising purposes. Such cookies do not contain personally identifiable information. If you would like to opt out of online behavioral advertising, click on one of these links and follow the instructions found on those sites:

Guideposts does NOT use or authorize the use of so-called “spyware” (i.e., we do not use embed pop-up, pop-under or other advertising adware in any of our downloadable features such as screen savers or wallpaper).

HOW WE USE AND DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT / YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

We use the PII you provide about yourself to show you advertisements that we think you will like, deliver the information or content you have requested, to contact you about our programs, products, features or services or for other purposes disclosed at the time of collection. For instance, we may send an e-mail newsletter to you or send information about new services to you. If, at any point, you do not wish to receive information about our programs, products, features or services, you can remove yourself from the mailing list for newsletters and promotional materials by sending an e-mail message to GPSprod@cdsfulfillment.com or by mailing your request to us at the following address: PO Box 5815 Harlan, IA 51593-1315. If you do not opt-out, Guideposts may share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Please bear in mind that this opt-out choice for “third parties” will not apply to Guideposts licensees and co-branding participants, as set forth below. Please also keep in mind that any opt-out choices you make will not apply in situations where (a) you either have made, simultaneously make, or later make a specific request for information from us, or (b) Guideposts uses your personal information for either operational purposes (e.g., to complete transactions requested by you, such as your purchase of a product or service, or to send you administrative communications either about your account with us or about features of our Websites, including any future changes to this Privacy Policy) or fulfillment purposes (e.g., sharing with companies that facilitate communications and transactions with you).

Finally, it may take up to forty-five (45) days for your opt-out choices to be fully effective. Our systems require time to update, and promotional mailings using personal information shared before your opt-out may already be in process. Thus, your personal information might continue to be shared with third parties for promotional purposes for up to forty-five (45) days after you make your request. For similar reasons, if your personal information is shared with a third party, Guideposts generally loses control over how that information is used. Thus, even after you have opted-out of allowing us to share your personal information, you might continue to receive promotional materials from third parties unless and until you duly register your opt-out request with each third party in question.

Under California’s “Shine the Light” law, California residents are entitled once a year to request and obtain certain information regarding our disclosure, if any, of personal information (whether collected online or offline) to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the immediately prior calendar year (e.g., requests made in 2005 will receive information about 2004 sharing activities). To make such a disclosure request, please send an e-mail to GPSprod@cdsfulfillment.com or write us at:

Guideposts

PO Box 5815

Harlan, IA 51593-1315

Prayer Request, Tell Us Your Story, Answered Prayer

If you send a prayer request from any of our Websites, Guideposts may collect your e-mail address and any other PII contained in the body of your request. Your e-mail address is maintained for the purpose of contacting you, should we have any questions relating to your request, or for sending you a Personal Prayer Response when requested. If you select your prayer to be made public, it will be made available to the general public when it is posted on the Pray for Others portion of our Websites.

If you choose to submit a testimonial, Tell Us Your Story, or submit an Answered Prayer, we may collect your e-mail address and any other PII contained in your submission. You also agree that by submitting a testimonial, Tell Us Your Story, or Answered Prayer, that we may make the content of your submission public, including by posting the content or an excerpt on our Websites, or sharing your content on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or other third party sites. If we select your content for sharing on third party sites, the use and sharing of your content will be subject to the policies and practices of those third parties. If you do not wish the content of your submission to be made public, you should not submit a testimonial, Tell Us Your Story, or Answered Prayer.

Transactional Information

If you subscribe to our magazines or purchase items offline or through ShopGuideposts.org, we collect and store the necessary PII to complete the transaction (e.g., credit card number, shipping address, full name). We also capture your e-mail address to communicate with you regarding your order. Guideposts will share this information with third parties to the extent necessary to fulfill or complete your transaction, or with our trusted advertising and promotional partners.

Currently, if you purchase a Guideposts product through our web store, you will receive a confirmation e-mail at your provided e-mail address. Through the confirmation e-mail, you may register to receive newsletters and Guideposts promotional materials. We also collect your physical shipping address and data about your purchasing history (e.g., the types of products purchased) when you make a purchase from the Guideposts web store or offline. Guideposts may share this information with third parties who may send promotional materials to you.

Donations: If you make a donation through the Websites, we collect and store the necessary PII to complete the donation, to contact you with respect to the donation and to provide any necessary legal documents to you (e.g., credit card number, full name, zip code, e-mail address, telephone number). Your information may also be shared with a third party payment processor to the extent necessary to fulfill the transaction. If you choose to make your donation on behalf of or in memory of another person, we will ask for information necessary to contact that person to inform them of the donation (e.g., full name, e-mail address, telephone number). We will not use that person’s information for any other purpose. If you choose to share through a third party site such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or other third party sites the fact that you have made a donation, the use and sharing of your PII and amount of your donation will be subject to the policies and practices of those third parties.

IP Numbers, Cookies and Site Metrics

Where Guideposts collects your IP address or device ID this information is used to provide you with better services and to improve the design and content of the Websites. We may provide aggregate non-identifying information about general trends and website use to potential advertisers or other trusted third parties. However, we do not provide this information to third parties or other organizations for their individual commercial use at the present time.

Discussion Forums

Discussion forums are available for use by Members on certain Guideposts Websites. While messages can only be posted by Members, the posted messages can be viewed by any site visitor, whether or not he or she is a Member of the site. Guideposts is not responsible for any PII that you post on its hosted discussion forums or other public areas of the websites, or for the activities of any third parties who collect voluntarily disclosed PII in the discussion forums. From time to time, Guideposts may monitor the discussion boards for offensive or derogatory content, and reserves the right to delete your user account if you post any such content.

Additional Uses of Information

We may employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. For instance, we may use third parties to host message boards or other user forums, to develop software applications and databases or to send communications on our behalf. Our employees, agents and contractors who perform functions on our behalf and who have access to PII are required to protect the information in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.

We may share your personal information with companies that offer products and/or services under the Guideposts brand name. These companies are called “licensees.” For example, a company that publishes and sells books under the “Guideposts” brand would be such a licensee. Guideposts may also share your information with companies that offer products and/or services that are co-branded using Guideposts brand names. These companies are called “co-branding participants.”

We may provide access to your PII when we determine that we are legally obligated to do so, such as in response to a legal subpoena, to cooperate with police investigations or other legal proceedings, to protect against misuse or unauthorized use of our Websites, or to limit our legal liability and protect our rights or the rights, property or safety of visitors to this Website or the public. In those instances, the information is provided only for that purpose.

Guideposts may also sell, transfer or otherwise disclose user information, including PII, if Guideposts combines or merges with, is sold to or is otherwise acquired by another company, such as through a corporate merger, consolidation, the sale of all or substantially all assets, or other corporate change.

DATA SECURITY

We take physical, electronic and administrative steps to maintain the security and accuracy of the PII we collect, including limiting the number of people who have physical access to our database servers, as well as electronic security systems and password protections that guard against unauthorized access. However, no data security measures or data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Accordingly, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.

CONSENT TO TRANSFER

Our websites are operated in the United States. If you are located in the European Union or elsewhere outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us is either being collected in the United States or will be transferred to the United States. By using our Websites, participating in any of our services and/or providing us with your information, you consent to this transfer.

Share Your Story with Us

Tell us your story! Do you have an uplifting true story to share with the world? We want to hear how faith helped you overcome a seemingly impossible situation or how a blessed moment changed your life. Submit your story here.